'Rhyme Investigation' Song Sam-hyun, Chief of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, Resigns... 9 Senior Prosecutor Positions Vacant

Resignation Letter Submitted to Ministry of Justice... Personal Reasons
Appointed as District Prosecutor Last July... Resigns After One Year
Expected Impact on Lime Asset Management Investigation

Song Sam-hyun, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (second from the right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Song Sam-hyun (58, 23rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, has tendered his resignation.

According to the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution on the 24th, Chief Prosecutor Song recently submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Justice for personal reasons.

Born in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, Song graduated from Suncheon High School and Hanyang University’s Department of Law. He served as head of the Special 3rd Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, director of the Future Planning Division and Criminal Policy Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and was promoted to chief prosecutor in 2017.

In 2009, while working as head of the Special Division at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, he translated and published a biography of Xi Jinping (習近平), then Vice President of China, earning a reputation as a "China expert."

Within the prosecution, there is analysis that since Chief Prosecutor Song was leading the investigation into the Lime Asset Management corruption allegations and was also conducting investigations involving the Blue House and the ruling party, his resignation could potentially affect the progress of these investigations.

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jo Sang-won) indicted and detained Kim Mo (46), a former administrative officer of the Blue House Economic Policy Secretariat, in May on charges of receiving bribes from Kim Bong-hyun (46), chairman of Star Mobility and known as the money provider of Lime, and leaking information about inspections by the Financial Supervisory Service.

Lee Sang-ho (55), regional chairman of the Democratic Party’s Busan Saha-eul district and known by the pen name "Mikiruk" in the "Association of People Who Love Roh Moo-hyun" (Nosamo), was also detained the day before on charges of receiving around 80 million won in bribes from Chairman Kim.

Meanwhile, with Chief Prosecutor Song’s resignation, the number of vacancies at the chief prosecutor level and above has increased to nine. The Ministry of Justice plans to carry out promotions and transfers of senior prosecutors at the chief prosecutor level next week.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.